Mutual Response
by nahsehumi
Summary: Fuji kept asking whom Tezuka liked, but the latter won’t seem to tell…Perfect Pair.


**Mutual Response**

Be warned… shounen-ai

Perfect Pair

I do not own Prince of Tennis

The blue-eyed boy suddenly got curious and asked if there was someone whom Tezuka liked. To Fuji's amusement, his friend only glared at him and looked away, and Fuji thought that he was prying too much that Tezuka got mad, but when the tough face suddenly got intensely tinged with pink, he knew the answer.

Although, every time he asked who it was, Tezuka would immediately shut the topic, jumping off to other tennis related issue instead.

"What?" Tezuka found the usual impish blue eyes towards him.

Fuji playfully rested his chin on palm and made an innocent smirk. "What, _what_?"

Tezuka closed his book and sighed. "You're starting again. When are you going to get tired of asking who it is?"

"Saa… I'm not saying anything," he rolled his eyes towards his left, "Ne, Marilyn?" He playfully poked the little bonsai near the table and snickered.

Tezuka only glared at Fuji, conveying a message to leave him alone as busied himself back to his book.

"I'm your friend, Tezuka," Fuji stopped snickering and spoke gently, "Am I still a stranger to you? If you tell me, I can even help you with this person, and then woolah, you'll be happy."

"I'm not lonely,"

"I don't mean you're lonely…" Fuji suddenly brought a bragging smirk. "But love is a different kind of happiness. You just don't understand… The feeling is unbearable that your soul would feel like exploding with so much ecstasy!" As stale as it sounded, Fuji was still proud on his phrase.

"_You_ must've experienced it, then?" Tezuka raised an eyebrow. "Good for you,"

Suddenly, the Tezuka's room fell silent. Both of them knew that Fuji as well hadn't had any lover since he was born. For a moment, Fuji was shut with embarrassment, with him showering Tezuka with all the love advices when he himself hadn't got even a single experience from it…

But when Fuji saw a slight curve on the corner of Tezuka's lips, the embarrassing feeling started to fade. "Fine. I won't brag on you again. But still, promise to tell me soon, okay?"

Tezuka didn't reply.

"Hey!" Fuji pouted.

He stared at him. "When the right time comes,"

o

"Fuji Syusuke, right?"

"Yes?" But the boy didn't reply and just stared at him. "Eto… Are you a freshman? Do you need help?"

The boy then gave him an icy glare using those golden cat-like eyes.

"What do you need?" Fuji asked again, frowning. He doesn't even know this boy, or perhaps, have only seen him once. The boy couldn't probably have a grudge on him…

To Fuji's surprise, the cold, cat-like eyes started to shake and water, making him confused. "Hey… what's wrong?"

"Don't ask me what is wrong!" The boy started sobbing. "Stupid, Fuji Syusuke! Why does it have to be you?"

Fuji gulped. "Me…?"

"Yes, you!" An unjust slap, then, "But I can take Tezuka, you just watch."

The boy immediately stormed off, leaving Fuji dumbfounded and feeling harassed. "…What was that for?" He dabbed on his burning cheek.

o

Solely assigned to clean the club room today, Fuji was glad to have Tezuka offering help for him, that way he wouldn't have to feel goaded and left alone with all the club chores.

Suddenly, "_I love you, Fuji_,"

Crash. The buckets fell from top of the locker and made ear-scraping noises.

"Oh, geez!" Fuji groaned and picked them, "Erm, care to repeat what you said, Tezuka? I didn't hear it."

"I said I'll pick them,"

"Oh, I already did. Here," when he handed them to Tezuka, Fuji felt a negative energy emerging from him.

"What's wrong?" Fuji asked, not aware that a steel box-like crib from the top of the locker slid and was now on its way down to his head, all he was seeing was Tezuka's now shaken face. "Te—?"

"Look out!"

Fuji's blood drained as he saw the thing ready to hit him down. He couldn't make a single step out of fright, but as if a God had granted his silent rescue, a pair of strong arms immediately appeared and dragged him to safety. "Te-Tezuka?"

Both of them hit the ground later, hard. No, it was only Tezuka who hit the ground hard while he himself was resting safely on top of Tezuka's lean body; still, a pair of protective arms was wrapped around him.

"Are you okay?" Tezuka asked gently, "Are you hurt, Fuji?"

Cradled securely into Tezuka's arms, Fuji's heart started thumping fast, making him oddly tongue tied. "I-I'm fine,"

"Thank goodness!" Tezuka suddenly held his body tighter.

Fuji went fuzzy all over with the hug and felt heat disseminate over his body. _What the heck am I feeling? Tezuka…. _

Without thinking, Fuji leaned on Tezuka's shoulder and let his body submit completely to the warmth of Tezuka's body, "Thank you, Tezuka."

o

"What about you, Fuji, is there someone you like?"

The blue eyed boy was caught off-guard by Tezuka's question that he almost blurted the shake he was sipping. "M-Me?"

Tezuka nodded.

Fuji couldn't believe how serious Tezuka looked now over the question… neither asked at all. He felt heat creeping to his face. He knew now how awkward it felt being the one asked.

"Well… I… I'm not really sure," He was having trouble looking at Tezuka in the eye, but was thankful to manage frequent glances.

Tezuka looked down to his coffee. "I see."

"But I'll definitely tell you!"

Tezuka looked at him, eyes totally unreadable. "I will wait to hear it, then."

"…Yeah." A strange fuzzy feeling filled him. After the locker incident, it was the image of Tezuka he always sees when asked about the one he fancies.

After the conversation, he and Tezuka remained silent the rest of the time.

o

When Fuji realized it was Tezuka whom he liked all along, frustration took over him as he noticed that these past days, Tezuka was starting to give attention to that boy who shamelessly slapped him, Echizen Ryoma. It was probably him whom Tezuka liked. But he hoped not.

_You'll be crying a bucket next time… sorry, Echizen. But I won't ever let you touch him._

Lunch break would be over soon and Tezuka was already hinting for them to return to class. But Fuji refused and said he was still enjoying the spring sunlight but was actually just spoiling himself of Tezuka's scent beside him.

He never realized he would like Tezuka up to liking his cologne and shampoo as well.

"Are you really okay, Fuji?"

"H-How many times do I have to tell? There's nothing wrong. Really, nothing at all,"

"Then would you stop staring?" Tezuka said, staring back at him, "Or at least tell me what you're thinking… gazing at me like that,"

Fuji's eyes widened.

"I…" He felt his head was spinning; he wasn't ready to say the real reason yet. "I envy your handsome face, that's all…" _I like you… that's all._

"…I see."

o

When summer arrived, Fuji was glad when he learned that Tezuka chose his invitation to a summer beach party in Chiba with his family over Echizen's invitation to a summer volleyball at one of the beaches in Tokyo. Fuji's plans of completely framing the 'Echizen threat' out of his and Tezuka's picture were finally coming into pace. Most of his 'Invite-Tezuka-Out-Today' schemes were in consecutive success except when Echizen would 'coincidentally' show up and invite himself to hanging out with them.

A little more of pushing Echizen off and pulling Tezuka closer and he'll soon win the affection of the latter.

Fuji happily skipped as he emerged out from a huge ball of crowd near a radio station and carefully slipped two golden tickets inside his body bag.

"Well, well. It's good to be safe, I'll be needing both of you the next day, tickets." He cheerfully walked down the street, planning to call Tezuka and invite him to a concert when he gets home.

It suddenly struck Fuji that sooner or later, whether he liked it or not, he'll have to confess his feelings for Tezuka. He'd promised to tell him… But how would he confess? Fuji felt beads of sweat on his forehead as he continued to think it over.

Exhausted, Fuji decided to take a snack near the next block, and as the door of the burger shop he was walking by opened, he got stunned to his toes as he saw…

"Te-Tezuka?"

Tezuka's eyes widened as their eyes met.

"It's good to see you! Well… do you want to have a snack with me? My treat."

"Fuji…"

"Tezuka!" From the door where Tezuka came out, Echizen suddenly followed out and flew straight to Tezuka's lean body, wrapping its short, thin arms around him. Echizen tip toed and the blue-green head came near Tezuka's lips to…

"N-no…" Fuji wanted to pull him away but he stood rooted on the spot, his hands shaking.

_Don't kiss my Tezuka!_

Echizen pulled back after seconds. "Why Tezuka? Are you going to leave now? I can treat you more burgers if you want, Tezuka, Just… Don't leave yet,"

Unknowingly, tears were now trickling down on Fuji's face, he couldn't help it. "Tezuka… you were with him?"

"Don't think…" Tezuka strode towards him but Echizen's arms were looped around his waist, resisting.

By that, Echizen probably had just realized that Fuji was there, "Che, what are you doing here?" He let go of Tezuka's waist and frowned.

Couldn't stand the sight of them together anymore, Fuji ran.

o

Yet the brown haired man was glad… glad that Tezuka was actually running after him, but he couldn't stop, or Tezuka will see his distraught face. Oh, why was he running after him anyway?

"Wait!" Tezuka finally got hold of Fuji's arm, "Stop!"

Fuji started wiping his eyes as soon as his face was on Tezuka. It was so difficult to force a smile. But he'll do it as long he won't make Tezuka worry over him who's just being completely jealous and coward.

"It's not like Echizen and I were having a date… Please don't think it like that,"

"So what if you two were having a date? It's none of my business! You can go back now and enjoy his free burgers."

Tezuka eyed him. "Fuji, are you, perhaps… jealous?"

Fuji's looked away, fighting the mounting water in his eye. "I'm not jealous of him!" His voice was shaking. "And how come you couldn't tell me it was him?"

"Because it isn't him."

"But… you let him kiss you…"

"He saw and nicely invited me for a talk. I didn't know he was going to confess. He wasn't able to reach me too, I brought a restraining hand… if you saw,"

Fuji was quiet for a moment. "Then…" He peeked on Tezuka's face. "Who?"

Tezuka's lips went straight.

"Tell me," he grabbed Tezuka's jacket and pleaded. He suddenly realized how desperate he was turning out. Desperately in love with Tezuka.

Fuji sighed. "I'm sorry… I must be asking too much."

"Fuji," Tezuka called.

A minute of Tezuka's warm gaze, and when he felt soft lips pressed gently against his, it seemed that there would be no need for him to ask anymore.

_I love you too, Tezuka._

End

A/N: Another one-shot done, I hope it wasn't bad. Well it's kind of choppy, these are random ideas you see, or else I wouldn't help myself and drag it too looong. Anyway, thanks for reading! Comments are appreciated!


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